By Dan Smolen, on January 13th, 2012
A belated Happy New Year, everyone! As you can see, we’ve not posted in a couple of weeks. And that is because we are quite busy.
A good thing…eh?
Along with some very positive signs in the 2012 executive hiring market, I am pleased to inform that a concept we first reported on nearly four years ago–the Video Interview–is at last gaining broad acceptance with hiring managers. In 2008, the idea of interviewing candidates via broadband video was just gaining traction. But even then, most people were not using Skype (or had ever heard of it).
Now in 2012, the term telepresence–made popular by the marketing team at Cisco Systems–is part of our everyday business lexicon. What is more, telepresence is quickly becoming a popular tool in the candidate recruitment process.
Several of our clients connect regularly with out-of-town candidates via Skype. It saves them many thousands of dollars in T&E expenses. And it is easy to use. Plus, one cannot beat the price….IT’S FREE!
And…The Green Suits saw this coming! From our May 2008 “Video Interview” post:
With the cost of hiring being impacted heavily by the skyrocketing price of energy, some talent acquisition managers have already started considering alternatives to the traditional face-to-face interview. But now, many are opening up to the idea of staging parts of the process virtually, with the Video Interview.
 Over 40 years ago, AT&T was already thinking about the idea of video-communicating. (At right: a rendering of the first AT&T PicturePhone prototype).
But as recently as [2006], the thought of staging a video interview might have struck most talent scouts as interesting, but probably too complicated and expensive to pull off. And, they would have been right to think that way; video interviews were costly, hindered by technological incompatibility, and, very difficult to schedule and complete.
But now, the planets are lining up in favor of the video interview. Consider these developments:
- Broadband internet speeds are rapidly increasing (supporting very good video transmission capability);
- More notebook and desktop PCs have pre-installed webcams (new Macs already have them);
- The spread of WiFi hot-spots has enabled greater scheduling flexibility;
- Software compatibility issues have been eliminated, or greatly reduced.
According to Henry DelAngelo, a marketing executive with DelAngelo Consulting LLC, the day of the video interview has arrived:
“The prospective employee does not have to travel in order to be face-to-face interviewed. The hiring manager can conduct a Virtual Interview efficiently, without the hassle and expense of travel.”
Can you imagine the impact on your hiring budget, and the thousands of dollars in potential savings?
Still, the Video Interview is not for widespread application, thus it should be used carefully. We recommend staging Video Interviews, when:
- Your talent pool is hundreds or thousands of miles from your location, you can save thousands of dollars in T&E while achieving a quality interviewing experience;
- You have to fill a position quickly, but time constraints make interview scheduling a nightmare. Video interviews can be staged at any time…before, during, or after regular business hours;
- You must narrow your candidate field, quickly;
- You want to get a better sense of the candidate than could be gotten with a conventional telephone interview. This may be especially important to you if the executive you hire will be client-facing.
This final point is obvious, but merits repeating: do not hire any executive candidate without holding a subsequent (and literal) face-to-face interview round, or rounds. There’s a lot to be learned from that first handshake.
The Virtual Interview: a very green element in your hiring of talented green business executives.
One added reason for the popularity of telepresence is the explosion of mobile technology; every device sold has a built-in camera.
For candidates and hiring managers alike, there are some critical steps to staging a successful Video Interview that bear repeating:
 IS THAT A BRA HANGING FROM MY CANDIDATE'S TREADMILL??? Make sure you stage your office or interviewing location like a television studio. Make things neat and presentable. If possible, sit for your interview with a wall behind you.
- If you are new to Skype then you will need to register with them. Pick a handle that looks and sounds professional. Our Skype handle is TheGreenSuits.
- The Video Interview creates a virtual TV studio effect. REMEMBER THIS: if your office is a mess, you must tidy it up…and stage it like a TV interview set. About six months ago, we interviewed an executive candidate via Skype whose treadmill appeared in the background; it was festooned with ladies undergarments! Thus, it is best to stage your interview set well, and if at all possible, to seat yourself before the webcam with a wall behind you.
- Where you interview is important. Find an appropriately private indoor place, for sure. Do not interview in a bar, or a restaurant, or your kid’s swim meet, or a parking garage. Big, empty conference rooms tend to echo. Be mindful of ambient noise; turn off anything that beeps or bleeps or buzzes including your office phone and all mobile devices.
- Dress appropriately. No, that doesn’t mean ties and jackets. But it does mean wearing clean, nicely ironed casual dress shirts or blouses. And fellas…you might want to lose the Five O’Clock Shadow. Save the formal business ensemble for your actual face-to-face interview, to follow.
- Be on time. Most Skype calls I engage start within 60 seconds of the start time.
- Be mindful of your body-language. Sit up straight and don’t fidget. Remember that the person on the other end of the call is watching you and taking note of your soft-skills.
- LOOK INTO THE CAMERA. It is common when Skyping to fix your gaze at the other party’s video. But when you are speaking make sure to look directly into the lens. Soften your eyes. Don’t rush. Be natural.
- And, last, enjoy the experience!
By Dan Smolen, on January 5th, 2012
If you are a hungry new business “hunter” who is familiar with the direct/interactive marketing space and ready for a great new opportunity, then The Green Suits, LLC wants to hear from you right away!
Check out this new and EXCLUSIVE listing!
 Assignment: National Sales Executive
Leading Marketing Information Services Company
Location: Virtual Office
Comp: Competitive base + commission upside
Reports to: President/Chief Revenue Officer
Travel: Light to Moderate (when possible, client favors “very green” tele-presence alternatives to travel)
Company Background
Our client provides high-quality sales leads and direct mail and email lists to companies and organizations; it helps sales people and small business owners find more customers to grow their fortunes, and, provides highly targeted and customized sales leads that expertly fit multiple industries and market verticals. It also provides exceptional database development, data processing and file hygiene services.
About the Assignment
The Sales Executive will use telephone and client-facing selling skills to help businesses and organizations identify their target markets and generate the best sales leads for direct mail, email, or direct sales campaigns. As you build your base of customers, you will generate recurring commissions to complement your new customer acquisition commissions. The successful candidate is highly intelligent, technologically savvy, and money/success motivated.
The sky is the limit for successful candidates ready to earn a healthy six-figure income!
Responsibilities
- Achieve, exceed monthly sales and annual sales “bogies” set by Sales Management
- Generate, develop, and manage an extensive sales pipeline
- Proactively prospect and network to expand the opportunity pool
- Build long term customer relationships, and
- Maintain records of contacts, accounts, and opportunities in the CRM database (Salesforce.com)
Experience
- 5+ years in relevant and successful sales environments with current direct/database/email marketing familiarity
- FIRE-IN-THE-BELLY new business “hunter” with a solid track record of success cultivating and converting to sale small and mid-size enterprises
- Familiarity with tele-presence technology (e.g., WebEx, Skype) to conduct sales and client-service engagements, make presentations, etc.
- Excellent verbal and written communication and expert client relationship management skill
- Strong organization, time-management, and planning skill
- Self-motivated entrepreneurial-type who thrives in a fast-paced and ever-changing environment
- Bachelor’s degree in business administration, marketing, or similar fields of study required
- MBA preferred
Are you interested in learning more about this assignment? If so, please forward your WORD or PDF-formatted résumé (CV) and salary history by email to Dan Smolen at The Green Suits, LLC. Or call us at +1 703 835 9900, today!
And to learn about successful virtual officing, check out this post.
By Dan Smolen, on December 28th, 2011
 The University of Mary Washington is located in historic Fredericksburg, Va. On March 20, 2012, the university's career development office will host 'Tailoring the Green Suit: Establishing a Bright Green Career in a Dull Gray Economy' Happy New Year, everyone! We are pleased to start Twenty-Twelve off with some very exciting news.
On March 20, 2012, we will present our green career strategy session–Tailoring the Green Suit: Establishing a Bright Green Career in a Dull Gray Economy–at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Va. This session, sponsored by the Office of Career Development, will provide ten key strategies which soon-to-be-grads may employ to achieve immediate and lasting “green” career success.
If you live or work in the vicinity, then we hope to see you at UMW on March 20th. Further event details will follow, soon.
By Dan Smolen, on December 23rd, 2011
 In every year past, we predicted that things were going to get better on the green and sustainable career track. While some of us have made gains and landed great jobs, most of the rest of us struggle to establish ourselves in the New Green Economy.
We’ve grown tired of prognosticating. So, for Twenty-Twelve, we offer these ten wishes to you–the enthusiastic trail blazing careerists of the Triple Bottom Line–the Green Suits. Here goes:
- That we find ways to acquire experience and achieve success in the green business space. If you are eager to be in green business but don’t yet have the requisite experience, purpose yourself to turn your existing non-green job GREEN. Propose a sound business case with your management that you are the one to make the company or organization they lead more efficient and resource-sustainable. In short order, you could become your company’s chief green officer!
- That we never stop learning or asking probing questions about The New Green Economy. Our education doesn’t end with a bachelor’s degree. On the contrary, it is just the beginning of our path to knowledge. Purpose yourself for learning and discovery for these are important factors in your success as The Green Suit.
- That we connect with esteemed professionals who will help us achieve enduring success in green business careers. So, get out of your comfort zone. Meet professionals in face-to-face settings, people who can get you in the door for great opportunities in their companies or connect you with excellent training and volunteer programs to bolster your sustainability and social responsibility experience.
- That we form our own Advisory Boards. Just as start-up companies do, to fill their executives’ managerial experience cavities, so too will we align ourselves with green business professionals who help us overcome all that we don’t know about green business.
- That we develop great value propositions for ourselves, and post great positive (sustainability boosting) metrics to our résumés (CVs).
- The we lead purpose-driven lives. Money is a great motivator; it helps us work harder and smarter so that we provide better for ourselves and our families. But let us also work hard for the Triple Bottom Line, to help our companies generate more revenue and profit. But also to work for the betterment of people and the planet.
- That we expertly frame our value to overcome the indifference and cynicism that hinders green business progress. We, The Green Suits, are efficiency experts–that is our number one frame for success in business!
- That we walk the walk. To be The Green Suit is to be an enthusiastic practitioner of sustainability and social responsibility. So, don’t water the lawn (let it turn brown). Wash your clothes in cold water to save energy. Avoid dry-cleaning clothes. Take mass-transit to work, or, work from a virtual office.
- That we talk the talk. Let us use our knowledge and experience to promote sustainable and socially responsible business practices, and green jobs. Let us get op/eds published in the newspaper which promote the Triple Bottom Line. Let us speak at business gatherings to build enthusiasm for The New Green Economy.
- And–even on the tough days and weeks which are sure to follow in the New Year–that we remember this: Our best days lie ahead.
 May the New Year bring you and all who you love good health, good times, and great good fortune! And may twenty-twelve be your best year, ever!
By Dan Smolen, on December 23rd, 2011
By Dan Smolen, on December 16th, 2011
 It's time to plan for career success in 2012 by preparing and following your own check list. Season’s greetings! We hope you are enjoying the run up to Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or whatever it is that you celebrate.
And we keep good thoughts that 2012 will bring lots of career success to us all.
But our great good fortune will not come as a result of good luck, alone. Instead, the success we enjoy in work and career will result from forethought and scrupulous planning.
For those who seek success as The Green Suit, we offer these important process points:
- Establish a value proposition. What is it that makes you…you? Or more important, what is it that makes you successful on the job? Develop a buttoned-up one or two sentence description of you–the successful careerist.
- Acquire education and training. Your bachelor’s or master’s degree was only the beginning; to achieve success as The Green Suit you must commit yourself to continual education and training. Whether that means certification by way of a professional sustainability program or an advanced degree in environmental science, your future success will be tied to the recency and frequency of your education and training in sustainability, social responsibility, and related fields.
- Build a professional network. Who you know matters. Who you know who can help you succeed as The Green Suit MATTERS MOST. Carefully cultivate connections–on LinkedIn and face-to-face at business events–to empower your career and help you achieve success in the New Green Economy.
- Rework and revise the résumé (CV). Make sure you stand out by posting a compelling value proposition, key accomplishments, and truly great metrics. A distracted hiring manager may take only fifteen seconds to read your résumé, so make sure that it communicates your considerable value (or else, it will go unnoticed).
- Turn your current job green. Obvious green jobs don’t get offered to executives who lack requisite knowledge, training, or experience in sustainability. That is why we counsel executives eager to pivot into the New Green Economy to turn their current jobs green. Create a business plan for your boss or senior management which identifies areas where your company or organization could achieve greater efficiency through sustainability improvements directed by you. And, in very short order, you could become your company’s official sustainability manager or green officer–ready to entertain sustainability executive roles at other companies and organizations!
- And, think positive. We’ve all been held back by stagnation in the economy. But a great attitude is truly infectious. Through all of your daily interactions, enthusiastically show people the benefits of embracing triple bottom-line thinking: improved profitability, empowered people, and a well cared-for planet.
As I’ve said to audiences of eager soon-to-be college graduates I’ll say to you: our best days lie ahead. Together, let’s build a strong and reliable New Green Economy and ensure that we all become successful green business careerists–The Green Suits.
 Need a last-minute gift or stocking-stuffer for a bright green careerist? Order or download Tailoring the Green Suit: Empowering Yourself for an Executive Career in the New Green Economy from Amazon.com, HERE!
Happy Holidays!
By Dan Smolen, on December 5th, 2011
 Our thanks to Richard Halpern of EcoApprentice.com for the terrific interview experience. Here’s a snippet:
“For most sustainability-minded executives—who have been rendered risk-averse by the current job climate—the idea of creating shift in their current companies truly resonates. I am counseling them to turn their current jobs and companies green before they venture out to apply for and land an obviously green position in another company (such as Director of Sustainability). I think it is easier to turn one’s current job green, because the executive already knows the business culture and is likely aware of what it will take to create positive and lasting change in the company.
Check out EcoApprentice.com and the full interview, HERE.
By Dan Smolen, on December 1st, 2011
 PM Network is the official magazine of the Project Management Institute. Matt Alderton's article, "Green Growth," discusses green job-making opportunities for project professionals. Logo h/t PMI. Well, at least my mother will be very proud of me for this.
PM Network is the official magazine of the Project Management Institute, the world’s largest association for project management professionals. PM Network is read by over a half million PMI members, worldwide.
The December 2011 issue features an article by writer Matt Alderton entitled Green Growth: Organizations worldwide need help managing and measuring their environmental impact–and project professionals are the first in line to benefit. And I am quoted in that article:
“Usually, people who don’t have green experience become sustainability experts by proxy and by practice, Mr. Smolen says. “It may start with recognizing that your company isn’t addressing its carbon footprint or that it’s very resource-heavy, then putting together a brief business plan to tackle the problem by coming up with solutions the company can act on. All of a sudden, you’ve got sustainability-related project management experience. It’s fabulous. And with a year or two, that could easily become a recognized green job.”
Read the entire story, HERE.
By Dan Smolen, on November 28th, 2011
 Well, today starts of well with a nice post by Greenbiz.com contributor and WSMN’s Nature of Business radio host Chrissy Coughlin.
Chrissy summarizes last week’s radio interview, HERE.
Check it out!
By Dan Smolen, on November 27th, 2011
 Today's Wall Street Journal editorial borrowed "non-green jobs" talking points from The American Petroleum Institute verbatim. This morning, I was jolted awake, not by a strong cup of coffee, but by the arrival of an editorial in The Wall Street Journal’s weekend edition.
The editorial, The Non-Green Jobs Boom: Forget ‘clean energy.’ Oil and gas are boosting U.S. employment. started this way:
“So President Obama was right all along. Domestic energy production really is a path to prosperity and new job creation. His mistake was predicting that those new jobs would be “green,” when the real employment boom is taking place in oil and gas.
And here I thought this beautiful weekend day was going to be easy and breezy…
We counsel The Green Suits to “be above politics,” to expertly frame their value propositions in a way which appeals to people who are not natural constituents to The Triple Bottom Line–to benefit people and planet…and maximize profits.
When their framing is right, The Green Suits land jobs and quickly establish their value as successful, positive metric-minded executives. And within months of arriving on the job, they prove to management that resource sustainability, renewable energy, green/clean tech, and corporate social responsibility are indeed good for (their) business.
But today’s editorial may make The Green Suits–striving to start and establish successful green business executive careers–feel personally attacked, their credibility and integrity questioned.
Read the editorial, and one can definitely understand why that may happen.
The editorial–which restates American Petroleum Institute talking-points verbatim–espouses the “non-green job boom” happening in places like the Marcellus Shale, the vast deposit of natural gas that lies beneath much of Central Pennsylvania and the Southern Tier of New York State. The WSJ and the API believe great fortunes will be made–and thousands of jobs created–fracking for gas in this vast deposit.
If it were only that simple…
Thousands of landowners, who have never enjoyed wealth, are excited about the prospects of getting rich from the gas fields beneath them. While thousands of other landowners–many with property lines abutting their pro-fracking neighbors–fear that the air, soil, and well water on their property will be permanently tainted by the fracking process, which uses water, sand, benzene and other poisonous chemicals forced under high pressure to literally fracture the shale layer miles below, to release the gas.
Who is right? And would you drink from that well?
So, do The Wall Street Journal and the American Petroleum Institute “have it in” for The Green Suits? It does seem like The Green Suits, the ambitious business executives in or entering the renewable energy and sustainability sectors–who seek to turn conventional companies and market verticals green…and are hell-bent on changing the world–are suddenly in the crosshairs of some very powerful and well-funded old economy interests. And some might feel as if they may be left to justify their personal and professional missions.
Are The Green Suits going to sit back and take it? No.
Are The Green Suits going to get mad and toss verbal grenades? No. (I hope not.)
Instead, what The Green Suits must do is remain calm, poised, and very well-informed about the green jobs versus non-green jobs debate. Sure, there are Wall Street Journal editorial page reading constituents–hiring managers for sure–who have made up their minds that green jobs are folly.
I believe that they are in the minority of public opinion.
Instead, most hiring managers remain open-minded, and it is with reasonable, open-minded people who The Green Suits can ably support a solid case for green business.
Truth be told, the future belongs to The New Green Economy. And the 90-million strong Millennial Generation–our nation’s largest demographic cohort–want green jobs.
That is why here in the U.S., we must and will continue developing our own renewable energy and green/clean technologies. We must regain our global leadership in them all, or China will, as New York Times columnist Tom Friedman has written, “clean our clock.”
The jobs–the green jobs–created by our renewable energy and green/clean tech “eco-entrepreneurs” will be in the millions, but they will take time to create (that we know). We must commit our time, energy, and talents NOW to rapidly building the New Green Economy.
Keep your chin up. Don’t let anyone steal your thunder. The future is the New Green Economy. The future will be led by you, The Green Suits.
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